A Vibrant Community Richmond Hill’s Cultural Plan2 Millier Dickinson Blais: Town of Richmond Hill...

1 Millier Dickinson Blais: Town of Richmond Hill Cultural Plan – Appendix

A Vibrant Community Richmond Hill’s Cultural Plan

Appendix Document


APPENDIX A

Cultural Planning Frequently Used Terms

Community Arts - a particular kind of community-based arts practice in which professional artists work with community

members to create work that addresses specific local issues or concerns.

Creative Cluster - A geographical concentration (often regional in scale) of interconnected individuals, organizations and

institutions involved in the arts, cultural industries, new media, design, knowledge building and/or other creative sector

pursuits.

Creative Hub - A multi-tenant centre, complex or place-based network that functions as a focal point of cultural activity

and/or creative entrepreneurship incubation within a community. A hub provides an innovative platform for combining the

necessary hard and soft infrastructure to support the space and programming needs of commercial, not-for-profit and

community sectors.

Creativity - The ability to generate something new; the production by one or more person of ideas and inventions that are

personal, original and meaningful; a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new

associations between existing ideas or concepts.

Culture-Led Regeneration - A multi-dimensional approach to the re-use, renewal or revitalization of a place wherein art,

culture and/or creativity plays a leading and transformative role.

Cultural Ecology - A dense and connected system of a distinct and evolving blend of community, educational,

recreational, cultural and entertainment venues and environments that generate „thickness‟ in the creative fabric of a city.

They provide the necessary infrastructure that accommodates cross-fertilization between a varied mix of stakeholders

and interest groups, cultural producers, artists, entrepreneurs and residents.

Cultural Assessment - involves quantitative and qualitative analysis of cultural resources, including strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Cultural assessment helps communities understand the local cultural ecology,

identify what is needed to strengthen the management of culture resources and how they can be leveraged to address

community priorities, inform planning and decision-making, and target investment.

Cultural Identity - refers to those shared beliefs and characteristics that distinguish a community or social group and which

underpin a sense of belonging to that group. Cultural background is one important, though not sole source of identity. As

cultures interact and intermix, cultural identities change and evolve.


Cultural Mapping – a systematic approach to identifying, recording and classifying a community‟s cultural resources. It

involves a process of collecting, analyzing and synthesizing information in order to describe and visualize the cultural

resources in terms of issues such as links to other civic resources (e.g. transportation, green infrastructure, public

gathering spaces), patterns of usage, and unique character and identity of a given community.

Cultural Value Chain - has been a useful tool in dismantling cultural decisions based on distinct disciplines or subsectors

(e.g., visual arts, theatre, museums). The production cycle maps cultural activity in more functional terms as various parts

of a cycle linking creation, production, distribution, and reception/consumption.

Cultural Tourism - visits by persons from outside the host community motivated wholly or in part by interest in the

historical, artistic, scientific or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a community, region, group or institution. Cultural tourism is

the fastest growing type of tourism in the world today, part of a worldwide tourism boom that is projected to soon become

the world's largest industry.

Diversity - Distinct or different personal characteristics and qualities encompassing creative and artistic discipline,

vocation, race, culture, sex, religious or spiritual beliefs, age, weight, disabilities, sexual orientation, everything which

celebrates the variety and uniqueness of all individuals and things; may also apply to the mandates, goals, etc. of groups,

organizations and companies.

Hard Infrastructure - Tangible elements of urban form – workspaces, galleries, theatres, cafes, streets and public spaces

– that combine the functional with the aesthetic and the symbolic to provide vital conduits for inspiration, connectivity and

expression. Infused with a mix of uses, meanings and experiences, these places reveal themselves as authentic,

distinctive, permeable and diverse „habitats‟ that attract and sustain a diverse range of creative activity.

Municipal Cultural Planning - A municipal government-led process for identifying and leveraging a community‟s cultural

resources, strengthening the management of those resources, and integrating cultural resources across all facets of local

government planning and decision-making.

Placemaking - An integrated and transformative process that connects creative and cultural resources to build authentic,

dynamic and resilient communities or place.

Soft Infrastructure - Dense and diverse collaborative partnerships, active intermediaries and cross-over mechanisms that

facilitate the face-to-face interaction, social networking and flow of ideas that drive successful clustering.


APPENDIX B

Town of Richmond Hill Creative Economy Analysis

Creativity and culture have a key role to play in local economies throughout Ontario and Canada. A traditional economic

growth model in which the attraction of large-scale business investment attracts jobs and people is being turned on its

head. Instead, many communities are now recognizing that enhancing quality of place and creating attractive amenities

can draw talented people, which in turn attract business investment.

Given that this „creative‟ labour force values diverse cultural experiences, as well as interesting heritage and access to the

natural environment, it is imperative for communities to understand and cultivate their cultural resources to drive

economic development. This notion of culture-led economic development recognizes the value of place – that those

environments where diverse cultural experiences and amenities are offered are better positioned to attract and retain

creative people and businesses, and to generate wealth for their communities.

Promoting a sense of place and identity are major themes in the Richmond Hill Strategic Plan 2009 and the new Official

Plan. The Official Plan emphasizes „a new kind of urban‟ drawing attention to the Town‟s unique mix of urban and rural

and also identifies place-making as one of five guiding principles. The Town‟s commitment to develop a Public Art Master

Plan is further evidence of the Town‟s recognition of the importance of quality of place as an essential community and

economic necessity. The Cultural Plan will define strategies and actions to support the realization of these policy and

planning goals and commitments.

The second major contribution to economic prosperity is through the expansion of the creative cultural sector – both

occupations and industries – as a rapidly expanding economic sector in most jurisdictions. This report provides an

analysis of this important sector which is expanding within the Richmond Hill economy. The Richmond Hill Economic

Development Strategy 2010-2020 completed by Millier Dickinson Blais in 2010 identified the Information and Cultural

Industries as one of four priority sectors and competitive strengths. This sector was further analysed in Industry Sector

Profiles report also completed by Millier Dickinson Blais.


1.1 Understanding the Creative Economy: Occupational and

Industrial Approaches

Establishing Richmond Hill as a the Creative Centre of the York Region is one of four anchor goals in the Richmond Hill

Economic Development Strategy 2010-2011. Here the idea of the creative economy is elaborated both as an important

base of understanding in and of itself but as a broader context within which to examine the creative cultural sector in

Richmond Hill which forms the second part of this report.

In a model of economic development premised on culture and creativity, it is important to understand how notions of the

„creative economy‟ are measured and defined. People take centre stage in this model – what they know, what they do,

and where they work. Understanding these characteristics can help communities position themselves and differentiate on

the basis of their unique local assets and economic structure.

The creative economy should be understood to underlie all sectors of the broader economy. Creativity can be applied to

the introduction of new processes, the creation of new products, and the design of systems in fields from construction to

craft-making. In this sense, the creative economy is defined by the skills and ideas that people employ – in other words,

what they do, not where they work. To capture this idea, the creative economy is generally captured by looking at

occupational employment – it looks at the actual jobs creative workers are engaged in, and better reflects the skills they

use to create and innovate.

FIGURE 1: THE CREATIVE ECONOMY


These creative occupations can exist throughout a range of industries; consider an industrial designer on the shop floor of

an automotive plant, or an architect on the work site of a new project. However, the creative economy can also be

understood in a more traditional fashion – that is, by the industries that are fundamentally driven by ongoing innovation,

adaptation, and the generation of intellectual property.

Though this distinction may seem trivial, it is anything but. Understanding the creative economy in terms of both

occupational and industrial employment allows for a complete understanding of the central role that creativity and culture

have in economic development. Figure 2 illustrates this point; though creative occupations comprise the largest share of

so-called „knowledge-based‟ industries in Canada at 62.3%, they also comprise 24.3% of jobs in service-based industries

like retail, and 19.2% of goods-producing industries like manufacturing. Thus, creative workers comprise a significant

proportion of jobs throughout all sectors of the economy.

FIGURE 2: INDUSTRIAL VS. OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT COMPOSITION BY CLASS, CANADA, 2006

Source: Adapted from King et al. 2009. What You Do, Not Who You Work For. Martin Prosperity Institute; Statistics Canada (Census of Population,

2006)

62.3%

24.3%

19.2%

14.7%

22.2%

45.4%

28.0%

4.4%

Knowledge-Based Industries Service Industries Goods-Producing Industries Fishing, Farming, Forestry

Creative occupations as share of industry Industry as share of total employment


1.1 Creativity in the Labour Force: Occupational Classes As mentioned above, the creative economy is often defined according to occupations, in order to better reflect what work

people actually do. Though there are multiple definitions of creative work, a definition used in the 2009 report Ontario in

the Creative Age, co-authored by Dr. Richard Florida and Dean Roger Martin of the Rotman School of Management at

the University of Toronto places creative occupations within four broad types of work.

These occupational „classes‟ are defined as follows:

Creative occupations (the creative class) – the growing number of people who are paid to think. These include

scientists and technologists, artists and entertainers, and managers and analysts.

Service occupations (the service class) – where work involves little autonomy, and occupations are focused on

the delivery of services, including food-service workers, janitors, and clerks.

Physical occupations (the working class) – consisting of people who use physical skills and carry out relatively

repetitive tasks, such as tradespersons, mechanics, crane operators, and assembly line workers.

Resource occupations (FFF) – consisting of occupations in fishing, farming and agriculture, forestry (FFF) and

mining.

Each of these labour force classes is populated with occupational categories defined by the National Occupation

Classification (system) NOC which is outlined in summary in this appendix after this analysis. The creative class, first

defined by Richard Florida is not just restricted to artists and entertainers, it encompasses a wide range of occupations

that are „paid to think‟ in education, business, management, law, and health-related fields.

When measured by these broad occupational classes, it is clear that the labour force has experienced significant

structural change over time. Figures 3 and 4 indicate these changes in the Province of Ontario and Canada between

1991 and 2006. While the service class continues to compose the largest share of the labour force, the creative class has

grown substantially in both jurisdictions, accounting for 34.1% of all employment in Ontario in 2006. This growth has

occurred mostly at the expense of working and resource occupations, which continue to decline.


FIGURE 3: LABOUR FORCE BY OCCUPATIONAL CLASS, ONTARIO, 1991-2006

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada, Census of Population (1991-2006) by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.

Figure 4 places these trends into broader historical context, looking at the change in occupational structure in Canada

back to the turn of the 20th century. In 1901, working and resource class occupations composed over 80% of the

Canadian labour force; 100 years later, they composed less than 30%. Creative and service occupations have emerged

in their place, indicating the significant structural change in the Canadian economy over time. Goods-producing jobs

continue to be lost; as seen in Figure 5, manufacturing‟s share of total Canadian employment has declined over 10%

since 1976. As such, the importance of these creative occupations will only continue to grow – and communities that can

capitalize on these trends and become hubs of creative work will be better positioned for future growth.

34.1%

40.8%

21.7%

1.7%0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

1991 1996 2001 2006

Creative Class

Service Class

Working Class

FFF


FIGURE 4: LABOUR FORCE BY OCCUPATIONAL CLASS, CANADA, 1901-2001

Source: Cervenan, A. 2009. Service Class Prosperity in Ontario. Martin Prosperity Institute.

FIGURE 5: MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT AS SHARE OF TOTAL LABOUR FORCE, CANADA, 1976-2010

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada, Labour Force Historical Review and Labour Force Survey. 1976-2010.

20.3%19.3%

17.3%

15.1% 15.2%

13.7%

11.7%

10.1%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2010*


These high-growth job categories are premised on the accumulation of skills and knowledge. Consider Figure 6, which

illustrates the importance of education to the creative economy. Over half (51%) of the creative class holds at least a

bachelor‟s degree, compared to only 14% of service class workers, and 5% of the working class.

FIGURE 6: SHARE OF OCCUPATIONAL CLASS WITH BACHELOR‟S DEGREE OR HIGHER, CANADA, 2006

Source: Adapted from Martin Prosperity Institute analysis (2009) from Statistics Canada (Census of Population), 2006.

As might be expected, creative class workers enjoy a significant wage premium as a result of the education they have

and the kind of work they do. Figure 8 compares the share of each class‟s labour force to its share of total income in

Canada. It is clear that the creative class is „punching above its weight‟ – pulling in 42% of total income despite being

responsible for less than a third of the total labour force. This is significant from an economic development perspective as

well; it implies that creative workers both generate and inject more wealth into the local economy than workers in other

occupational classes.

Richmond Hill has a highly educated population, a foundation of the creative and broader knowledge economies. In 2006,

nearly half of the Town‟s population (49.7%) held a university certificate, diploma or degree, as compared to 40.0% of

York Region‟s population and 30.7% of the provincial population. The Town‟s high percentage of residents with a

university certificate, diploma or degree reveals its current strengths and future opportunities in the creative economy.

Richmond Hill‟s highly educated “human capital” is a significant competitive advantage for the Town in attracting and

growing businesses in the Creative Economy1.

1 Town of Richmond Hill. (2010). Richmond Hill Economic Development Strategy.


FIGURE 7: SHARE OF JOBS AND TOTAL INCOME BY OCCUPATIONAL CLASS, CANADA, 2006

Source: Adapted from Martin Prosperity Institute analysis (2009) from Statistics Canada (Census of Population), 2006.

Overall, these figures indicate a clear picture; economic development is increasingly driven by a new paradigm premised

on culture and the creative economy. The importance of cultural and quality of place create vital and vibrant spaces that

are attractive to the people, businesses and industries that apply their knowledge and skills to adapt to change, solve

problems, and drive innovation and wealth in the new economy.

1.1.1 The Creative Economy in Richmond Hill

The creative class is a valuable and growing segment of the labour force, comprised of people who are „paid to think‟ in

occupations related to arts and entertainment, business and finance, law, health, science and engineering. Figure 8

indicates the presence of this creative class in the Richmond Hill labour force, compared to other occupational classes.


FIGURE 8: LABOUR FORCE BY OCCUPATIONAL CLASS, RICHMOND HILL, 2006

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada (Census of Population, 2001-2006) by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.

When Richmond Hill's labour force is broken down by occupation class, it can be seen that the creative class is a

predominant area of labour force concentration. Richmond Hill has a higher concentration of Creative Class jobs than the

Province of Ontario. Almost 50% of occupations in Richmond Hill are identified as being part of the Creative Class.

Richmond Hill has a lower concentration of service class, working class and resource occupations (FFF) in comparison to

the Province.

As previously discussed, Ontario is moving into a creative age, and Richmond Hill has a concentration of occupations that

align well with this profound economic shift. The following section will look at Richmond Hill's creative and cultural

occupations and industries to better understand this important element of the larger creative economy in order to define

strategies to grow the sector.


1.2 Understanding the Creative Cultural Economy: Occupational

and Industrial Approaches

1.2.1 Creative Cultural Occupations

Creative cultural occupations, in which cultural expression and aesthetic value are driving elements of the work produced.

Examining this subset of occupations further focuses the broader creative economy discussion presented above, and

allows for a clearer picture of the depth and breadth of cultural output in the community.

Creative cultural occupations are defined in various ways. One definition to emerge from Richard Florida‟s The Rise of the

Creative Class terms these occupations as the „super-creative core‟, and removes law, business and finance,

management, and health occupations from the broader creative class definition.

However, this report utilizes a definition from Statistics Canada‟s Framework for Cultural Statistics that focuses more

exclusively on occupations that are directly related to cultural production, accumulated into the following two categories:

Creative and artistic production occupations, including architects, designers, writers, performing artists, visual

artists, and artisans, and;

Heritage collection and preservation occupations, including librarians, curators and archivists.

The Framework for Cultural Statistics further defines a small group of jobs called culture support occupations, which

directly service or support cultural creation and production, into three categories:

Cultural management, including supervisors and managers in the arts;

Technical and operational occupations, including drafting technicians, camera operators, broadcasters, and other

technicians and technologists, and;

Manufacturing occupations, including film processing, printing and binding operators, and camera & plate makers.

Much of the cultural sector, particularly the non-profit sector defies accurate capture by standard statistical

measurements. There are many ways in which the human resources engaged in cultural activities and the resulting

financial output “fly below the statistical radar”. Examples include:

Cultural activities carried out by organizations (such as performing arts groups) that do not have full time

employees, but operate with volunteers, part time staff, or casual/seasonal employees.


If the organization or activity is not registered as a business with a GST account and with more than

$30,000 in gross business revenue, or is not filing a corporate tax return, it would not be captured in

the Business Register or Canadian Business Patterns data used in this report.

Cultural activities that are carried out part time or casually by individuals who work full time in an occupation

unrelated to culture. Even though it may be a secondary source of income, it is not being reported as the main

source of income, and therefore “not captured” statistically, either from the income perspective, or from the

occupation perspective.

Cultural activities that could operate as a business, but are not regarded as such by the “owner”, and therefore

not registered with a business number.

Self-employment in the cultural sector, which may not be captured as such on census or other reporting forms.

Gross Domestic Product, which would be an ideal measure, is not calculated at the County level.

As a result, we know that any quantitative data available for analysis would under-estimate the economic impacts of

cultural activity, especially activity that is produced by individuals and smaller, community-based non-profit organizations.

In addition to these difficulties, quantitative analysis cannot capture the social value of cultural activities.

Figure 10, examines the change in Culture and Culture Support occupations between 2001 and 2006. It appears that

while there was growth in all occupations (6.8%), Culture occupations demonstrate a rather high percentage of growth

(44.8%), while culture support occupations have declined by 32.5%.

The culture occupations driving growth between 2001 and 2006 include: Professional Occupations in Public Relations

and Communications by 60 jobs; Interior designers by 100 jobs; Musicians and Singers by 140 jobs; Graphic Designers

and Illustrators by 390 jobs; and Drafting Technologists and Technicians by 180 jobs. The absolute growth in these

occupation categories works to boost the overall growth of culture occupations, and they can be considered targeted

growth occupations.

There are certain cultural and culture support occupations that significantly skew the percentage increase or decrease,

such as Drafting Technologists and Technicians. This occupation saw significant employment growth between 2001 and

2006, which amounts to an increase of 180 jobs in Richmond Hill. If we remove this occupation from our analysis of

Culture Support occupations, more significant decrease in Culture Support Occupations is seen (-39.6%). In Culture

occupations, Graphic Designers in 2006 contributed the highest number of employees in Richmond Hill (500 jobs).

However, when we remove this occupation from our analysis, we see that overall the Culture Occupations grew by 15.2%

rather than 44.8%.


FIGURE 9: TOTAL CULTURE AND CULTURE SUPPORT OCCUPATIONS PERCENT CHANGE, RICHMOND HILL, 2001 & 2006

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada (Census of Population, 2001 & 2006) via OMAFRA by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.

To determine the leading culture occupations, the top five Culture and Culture Support occupations for 2006 were

selected. The top five occupations in Richmond Hill are noted in Figure 11 and include:

Graphic designers and illustrators (500 resident jobs)

Musicians and singers (195 resident jobs)

Drafting technologists and technicians (190 resident jobs)

Interior designers (150 resident jobs)

Professional occupations in public relations and communications (110 resident jobs)

The significant growth in occupations in Graphic Designers and Illustrators is of note. This occupation experienced 355%

employment growth between 2001 and 2006, and represents 500 jobs in the city's economy. Moreover, Graphic

Designers and Illustrators represent a 12% share of culture/culture support occupations in Richmond Hill. This suggests

that Richmond Hill created the most culture jobs in this Culture occupation between 2001 and 2006 and indicates an

opportunity for the region to build a greater understanding of the needs of this occupation group to continue growing.

1.2.2 Creative Cultural Industries

Having established an understanding of the creative cultural economy in Richmond Hill premised on the occupational

labour force, it is also important to understand what creative cultural industries exist within the community. Creative


cultural industries are those in which cultural expression and aesthetic value drive the output, in terms of products or

services, which in turn generate wealth.

Statistics Canada‟s Canadian Framework for Culture Statistics defines a set of creative cultural industries as well as

creative cultural occupations. The Framework further identifies that the creation of goods and services that are „cultural‟

involves a series of inter-connected processes – what they refer to as „the creative chain‟ (see Figure 12). The creative

chain considers all the industries involved in the creation, production, manufacturing, distribution and support of creative

cultural output as cultural industries.

FIGURE 10: THE CREATIVE CHAIN

Source: Statistics Canada. 2004. Canadian Framework for Culture Statistics.

Using this definition, Statistics Canada Canadian Business Patterns Data2 have been used to identify the number of

establishments in creative cultural industries in Richmond Hill. In relying on this framework, creative cultural industries

have been organized into categories as in ; of which a full list of NAICS categories for the culture sector are defined at the

end of this analysis.

Figure 11; of which a full list of NAICS categories for the culture sector are defined at the end of this analysis.

2 Canadian Business Patterns Data is collected from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Businesses are included if they meet one of the following

criteria: they have an employee workforce for which they submit payroll remittances to the CRA; they have a minimum of $30,000 in annual sales revenue; or, they are incorporated under a federal or provincial act and have filed a federal or corporate income tax form within the past three years.


FIGURE 11: CREATIVE CULTURAL INDUSTRIES

Advertising Antiques Architecture

Art Dealers Book Stores Culture Support Services

Design Independent Artists, Writers

and Performers Internet Publishing

Libraries and Archives Motion Pictures and Video

Industries Museums and Heritage Sites

Music Stores Performing Arts Photography

Pottery and Ceramics Printing Publishing Industries

Radio and Television Software Publishers Sound Recording

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada, Canadian Framework for Culture Statistics by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.

Furthermore, figure 14 identifies the number of businesses in each of the creative cultural industry categories between

2008 and 2010 in Richmond Hill. When the number of creative cultural businesses is compared between 2008 and 2010,

it can be seen that there are numerous industries experiencing decreases in Richmond Hill. The most pronounced

decrease is in Book Stores, where in 2005 there were 23, and in 2010 there were only 11 businesses related to Book

Stores remaining in Richmond Hill. This can likely be attributed to the number of independent book stores who are finding

that in today's technologically-savvy age, the 'e-book' is hindering traditional book sales. A CBC News report issued in

December 2010 suggests that traditional book store owners are beginning to sell 'e-books' in order to remain competitive,

however many are unwilling to move in this direction3. The comparison also revealed there were a number of business

additions to Richmond Hill by industry. Most notable are the Culture Support Services, which increased by 15

establishments between 2008 and 2010.

3 CBC News. (2010). Indie Bookstores Wrestle with E-Book Business. http://www.cbc.ca

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/12/21/calgary-independent-bookstores-ebooks-ereaders.html


FIGURE 12: CREATIVE CULTURAL BUSINESSES, RICHMOND HILL, 2008 FIGURE 13: NUMBER OF CREATIVE CULTURAL BUSINESSES,

RICHMOND HILL, 2010

Figure 14 Source: Derived from Statistics Canada Canadian Business Patterns Data (2008) by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.Figure 15 Source: Derived

from Statistics Canada Canadian Business Patterns Data (2010) by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.

Other notable increases in the number of creative cultural businesses establishments are in the industries listed below:

5 Sound Recording

4 Internet Publishing

4 Architecture

2 Music Stores

Combined with Cultural Support Services, these five leading categories of creative cultural businesses account for 281

business establishments in Richmond Hill in 2010. Moreover, Design is the largest category of cultural establishment in

Richmond Hill, making up 197 establishments. These business establishments are vital to enabling creative and cultural


activity in the region. Included in this category are business establishments related to Interior Design, Industrial Design

and other specialized design services. While the Design establishments did decrease by 10 between 2008 and 2010, it

still is regarded as the largest Creative Cultural Business in Richmond Hill and should be considered a key sector in

building the creative cultural economy. A better view of the growth and decline of creative and cultural businesses in

Richmond Hill is illustrated in Figure 14.

FIGURE 14: GROWTH AND DECLINE IN CREATIVE CULTURAL BUSINESSES, RICHMOND HILL, 2008 TO 2010

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada Canadian Business Patterns Data (2008-2010) by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.

Figure 16 reveals that the largest decrease in creative cultural businesses between 2008 and 2010 was in Book Stores.

The absolute decline of these industry categories is also rather significant, with a drop in Book Store establishments from

23 in 2008 to 11 in 2010.

The percentage of creative cultural businesses occupying Richmond Hill did not change between 2008 and 2010, and

accounts for 6% of the total share of businesses.


Of significance is the comparison of creative cultural businesses gained and lost. Richmond Hill gained 31 creative

cultural establishments between 2008 and 2010, but lost 73. While the statistics do not provide answers as to why this

occurred, it is observed that many of the losses occurred in establishments that are currently being driven by

technological improvements, such as photography, which continues to advance in terms of digital photography and

enhanced photographic imaging software. These improvements allow individuals to become more independent, but sadly

decrease the demand for business services.

Overall, in 2010, there were 18,336 business establishments in Richmond Hill, a 4% decrease from 2008, when there

were 19,188 businesses. The largest decrease was seen in seen in businesses with 100-199 employees, where 10

business establishments were lost between 2008 and 2010. Of importance is the loss of 1 company with 500+

employees. Given the 2008 economic crisis, this type of decline has been experienced significantly throughout Canada.

1.3 Recommendations and Conclusions

Communities large and small are realizing that creativity and culture have a key role to play in local economies throughout

Ontario and Canada. This notion of culture-led economic development recognizes the value of place – that those

environments where diverse cultural experiences and amenities are offered are better positioned to attract and retain

creative people and businesses, and to generate wealth for their communities. Richmond Hill, with its variety of urban and

rural amenities should capitalize on its place-value and work to further support the growing creative economy.

The analysis of Richmond Hill has revealed that the Creative Class is dominating the share of occupations in the city

surpassing Service Class and Working Class occupations. In terms of the creative cultural sector‟s contribution to this

larger creative class strength the analysis has revealed important insights. Culture occupations experienced significant

growth between 2008 and 2010. Leading creative cultural businesses in Richmond Hill included advertising, culture

support services, publishing industries and sound recording.

Several types of business establishments in these creative cultural industries also experienced growth between 2008 and

2010. However, total creative cultural businesses showed marginal decline between 2008 and 2010, with much of the

absolute decline taking place in businesses with 100-199 employees. A highlight of the creative cultural economy in

Richmond Hill is in Drafting Technologists and Graphic Designers occupations, which both resulted in absolute and

percentage growth between 2001 and 2006.


From this discussion, some recommendations for Richmond Hill can be highlighted.

Business Support

Analysis of Richmond Hill's overall businesses revealed several trends. Firstly, a decline in larger establishments with 50

or more employees was discovered which suggests that Richmond Hill should continue to support the development of

small and medium-sized creative cultural businesses through creating linkages throughout the community between the

services, the cultural groups and overall community. Support for the entrepreneurial economy and SMEs were strong

themes in the Richmond Hill Economic Development Strategy which provide a strong context for supporting

entrepreneurship and SMEs in the creative cultural sector.

In addition to this, a strong entrepreneurial environment can further encourage small business development. Secondly it

was recognized that between 2008 and 2010 a decline in several Creative Cultural businesses was experienced, with the

highest losses taking place in Bookstores, Software Publishers and Printing establishments. With knowledge of leading

culture occupations and creative cultural businesses driving growth in the creative economy, the opportunity for targeting

the retention of these occupations and industries arises.

Creating pathways for the labour force to enter creative occupations early on (i.e in secondary and post-secondary) can

ensure the sustainability of the creative economy. Richmond Hill's present situation presents strong potential to further

develop the strength of the creative cultural industries, however as this trend is greatly being seen within the GTA it

remains a priority for the City of Richmond Hill to stay focused on this sector.

Building Stronger Relationships

The Town of Richmond Hill has completed cultural mapping to identify the various cultural groups and establishments that

exist within the community. One of the benefits of cultural mapping is to better support connections and relationships

across the cultural sector and these efforts should continue.

Building relationships with post-secondary institutions is an essential part of any strategy to grow the creative cultural

sector. Proposed alliances between the Town of Richmond Hill and Concordia College as well as other education and

research institutions and companies can present important opportunities for the creative cultural sector. Concordia

College has introduced a Certified Web Designer program and a Digital Graphics and Desktop Publishing

program, a significant development given the growth in Graphic Designers and Illustrators noted in this analysis.

Quality of Place

In today's competitive labour force, quality of place becomes a very important factor in attracting creative occupations. It

is no longer just about the job one will do, but also the environment in which they will be doing it in. In attracting

The creative economy analysis

showed…

48.4% of creative

occupations in Richmond

Hill in 2006, which is

significantly higher than

the provincial

concentration of the

creative workforce, which

is at 34.7%.

5.60% of all businesses

in Richmond Hill were

creative cultural

businesses in 2008,

growing slightly to 5.63%

in 2010. This trend differs

from total businesses

which saw a 4.4%

decline between 2008

and 2010.

In 2010 66.3% of all

creative cultural

businesses are

“indeterminate” –

meaning they are small

businesses.

60.4% of total businesses

in Richmond Hill are

indeterminate, showing a

clear trend towards small

business development.

32.9% of all businesses

in Richmond Hill have

between 1-9 employees.


knowledge workers it must be understood that these workers will balance economic opportunity and lifestyle in selecting a

place to live and work4.

Additionally, in 2007 the Town of Richmond Hill was recognized by the Conference Board of Canada5 as one of six top

cities in Canada to live in. In this, Richmond Hill is recognized as an attractive place for skilled workers and mobile

populations. Continuing to encourage the kind of vision of place set out in the Official Plan and envisioned in the Strategic

Plan will be an important part of sustaining and enhancing this status.

With a better understanding of creative culture occupations and businesses, the opportunity exists for targeted

actions to attract, retain and grow these important components of the creative economy in Richmond Hill.

NAICS Definitions

CULTURAL INDUSTRIES - 2010

NAICS Codes INDUSTRY CATEGORIES

ADVERTISING

541810 Advertising Agencies

541830 Media Buying Agencies

541840 Media Representatives

541850 Display Advertising

541860 Direct Mail Advertising

541870 Advertising Material Distribution Services

541891 Specialty Advertising Distributors

541899 All Other Services Related to Advertising

ANTIQUES

453310 Used Merchandise Stores

4 Richard Florida. (2000). Competing in the Age of Talent: Quality of Place and the New Economy.

5 Conference Board of Canada. (2007). City Magnets: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of Canada's CMA's.


ARCHITECTURE

541310 Architectural Services

541320 Landscape Architectural Services

ART DEALERS

453920 Art Dealers

BOOK STORES

414420 Book, Periodical and Newspaper Wholesaler-Distributors

451210 Book Stores and News Dealers

CULTURE SUPPORT SERVICES

611610 Fine Arts Schools

711410 Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers and Other Public Figures

813210 Grant-Making and Giving Services

813310 Social Advocacy Organizations

813910 Business Associations

813920 Professional Organizations

813930 Labour Organizations

813940 Political Organizations

813990 Other Membership Organizations

DESIGN

541410 Interior Design Services

541420 Industrial Design Services

541430 Graphic Design Services

541490 Other Specialized Design Services

INDEPENDENT ARTISTS, WRITERS AND PERFORMERS

711511 Independent Artists, Visual Arts

711512 Independent Actors, Comedians and Performers

711513 Independent Writers and Authors

INTERNET PUBLISHING


519130 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES

519121 Libraries

519122 Archives

MOTION PICTURES & VIDEO INDUSTRIES

334610 Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media

512110 Motion Picture and Video Production

512120 Motion Picture and Video Distribution

512130 Motion Picture and Video Exhibition

512190 Post-Production and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries

532230 Video Tape and Disc Rental

MUSEUMS & HERITAGE SITES

712111 Non-Commercial Art Museums and Galleries

712115 History and Science Museums

712119 Other Museums

712120 Historic and Heritage Sites

712130 Zoos and Botanical Gardens

712190 Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions

MUSIC STORES

414450 Video Cassette Wholesalers

451140 Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores

451220 Pre-Recorded Tape, Compact Disc and Record Stores

PERFORMING ARTS

711111 Theatre (except Musical) Companies

711112 Musical Theatre and Opera Companies

711120 Dance Companies

711130 Musical Groups and Artists

711190 Other Performing Arts Companies


711311 Live Theatres and Other Performing Arts Presenters with Facilities

711321 Performing Arts Promoters (Presenters) without Facilities

711322 Festivals without Facilities

PHOTOGRAPHY

541920 Photographic Services

812921 Photo Finishing Laboratories (except One-Hour)

POTTERY & CERAMICS

327110 Pottery, Ceramics and Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing

PRINTING

323113 Commercial Screen Printing

323114 Quick Printing

323115 Digital Printing

323119 Other Printing

323120 Support Activities for Printing

PUBLISHING INDUSTRIES

511110 Newspaper Publishers

511120 Periodical Publishers

511130 Book Publishers

511190 Other Publishers

512230 Music Publishers

519110 News Syndicates

RADIO & TELEVISION

515110 Radio Broadcasting

515120 Television Broadcasting

515210 Pay and Specialty Television

517112 Cable and Other Program Distribution

SOFTWARE PUBLISHERS

511210 Software Publishers

SOUND RECORDING


414440 Sound Recording Wholesalers

512210 Record Production

512220 Integrated Record Production/Distribution

512240 Sound Recording Studios

512290 Other Sound Recording Industries

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada, Canadian Framework for

Culture Statistics by Millier Dickinson Blais Inc.

NOCS Definitions

2-DIGIT NATIONAL OCCUPATION CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES (2006)

A0 Senior management occupations

A1 Specialist managers

A2 Managers in retail trade, food and accommodation services

A3 Other managers, n.e.c.

B0 Professional occupations in business and finance

B1 Finance and insurance administration occupations

B2 Secretaries

B3 Administrative and regulatory occupations

B4 Clerical supervisors

B5 Clerical occupations

C0 Professional occupations in natural and applied sciences

C1 Technical occupations related to natural and applied sciences

D0 Professional occupations in health

D1 Nurse supervisors and registered nurses

D2 Technical and related occupations in health

D3 Assisting occupations in support of health services

E0 Judges, lawyers, psychologists, social workers, ministers of religion, and policy and program officers

E1 Teachers and professors


E2 Paralegals, social services workers and occupations in education and religion, n.e.c.

F0 Professional occupations in art and culture

F1 Technical occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport

G0 Sales and service supervisors

G1 Wholesale, technical, insurance, real estate sales specialists, and retail, wholesale and grain buyers

G2 Retail salespersons and sales clerks

G3 Cashiers

G4 Chefs and cooks

G5 Occupations in food and beverage service

G6 Occupations in protective services

G7 Occupations in travel and accommodation, including attendants in recreation and sport

G8 Child care and home support workers

G9 Sales and service occupations, n.e.c.

H0 Contractors and supervisors in trades and transportation

H1 Construction trades

H2 Stationary engineers, power station operators and electrical trades and telecommunications occupations

H3 Machinists, metal forming, shaping and erecting occupations

H4 Mechanics

H5 Other trades, n.e.c.

H6 Heavy equipment and crane operators, including drillers

H7 Transportation equipment operators and related workers, excluding labourers

H8 Trades helpers, construction and transportation labourers and related occupations

I0 Occupations unique to agriculture, excluding labourers

I1 Occupations unique to forestry operations, mining, oil and gas extraction and fishing, excluding labourers

I2 Primary production labourers

J0 Supervisors in manufacturing

J1 Machine operators in manufacturing

J2 Assemblers in manufacturing

J3 Labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities


APPENDIX C

Community Engagement Events & Dates

Community Consultation Event Date

Face-to-Face and Telephone Interviews January 31st- March 10

th and April 11

th to April 27

th

Cultural Plan Launch Event March 10th 2011

Community Online Survey March 10th to May 5

th 2011

Sectoral Focus Groups April 11th 2011– Two Focus Groups held

April 12

th 2011– One Focus Group held

Community Soundings April 9th, Iranian Community Sounding

April 12

th, South Asian Community Sounding

April 13

th, YAC Community Sounding

April 13

th, Pathways Community Sounding

April 14

th, Richmond Green Secondary School – Grade

9 Drama Class April 14

th, Richmond Green Secondary School – Grade

12 Drama Class April 18

th, Chinese Community Sounding

April 21

st, Russian Community Sounding

Community Forum April 27th 2011


APPENDIX D

Administration Arrangements

Town of Richmond Hill – Current Programs and Initiatives in Support of Culture

Department and Unit

Program or Initiative

Activity

Office of the CAO

Strategic Initiatives (including Economic Development and Communications)

Economic Development Function

Development of the Town’s Strategic Plan

Development and Shared Coordination of People Plan Richmond Hill Process for the Strategic Plan

Development and implementation of the Richmond Hill Economic Development Strategy 2010-2011

Heritage Services Review – Phase 1 – Policy on the Acquisition and Use of Town-Owned and Heritage Buildings Review - Phase 2- Delivery of the Town’s Heritage Services (to be completed)

Retain and help develop existing businesses, including those in the creative/cultural sector

Attract new businesses to Richmond Hill, including those in the creative/cultural sector

Prepare and implement a sector strategy that identifies creative industries as one of four key business sectors in the Town

Support entrepreneurs, including those in the creative/culture sector, through the Small Business Enterprise Centre

Promote the Town as a tourism and conference destination in collaboration with York Region

Promote the Town as a location for filming

Marketing of events and significant attractions (Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, HCPA, Heritage Centre) through YorkScene (formerly York Region Tourism)

Grants Function

Identify priority areas for fundraising and apply for grants, including those in support of culture such as the Creative Communities Prosperity Fund grant that is supporting the development of the Town’s Culture Plan

Apply for ISF/RiNC projects that supported rehabilitation of heritage properties (Eyer and Forster Houses) and arenas

Special Projects

Co-coordinate the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of heritage assets in the Town including


the Town owned properties located at 10184 Yonge Street (Old Post Office) and the Brodie House

Communication Services

Website calendar of events, and listings of programs and services

Media releases for events, initiatives and special activities

Coordination of the publishing of the Community Recreation Guide, which includes arts and culture programs and events.

Development of Translation Policy and translation of Town materials (Health and Safety, Important Information)

Office of the Clerks Manager of Corporate Records, to manage and care for the Town’s corporate artifacts, council notes, deeds, etc.

Community Services

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts

Shows, performances, Film Festival, monthly art exhibits,

Theatre Facility available for rentals, community events, dance recitals, receptions, etc.

Adult and Cultural Services

Staff support and coordination for important community events

Art Exhibition Space at the Boynton House, equipped with an art tracking system and lighting appropriate for art displays and exhibits

Wide variety of art classes, workshops

Art Demonstrations at various Town events, including park openings, Crosby Park Event, Family Day.

Heritage Centre, programs, services, exhibits to promote awareness and appreciation for the Heritage of Richmond Hill and surrounding area

Artifact Storage Space for the collection and preservation of artifacts

Special Events

Development and delivery of Town events including; Canada Day Celebration, Concerts in the Park, Park openings, First Night New Years Eve

Sports Hall of Fame at the Tom Graham Arena

Maintenance and Operations

Parks staff support for events

Sign shop support in creation of banners and signage. Also help with street closure signage.

Support with street closures for events.

Richmond Hill Public Libraries

Local History and Genealogy department – largest repository of genealogical data in York Region, and home to a large collection of archives of the history of Richmond Hill

Environment and Infrastructure Services


Design and Construction

New parks are designed and constructed with cultural consideration. An example of this is the Alias Grace Park, named and designed after the Margaret Atwood book, Alias Grace.

Asset Management

Repairs and renovations to Heritage buildings are complete in accordance with designation requirements of the Ontario Heritage Act, and with respect for the buildings heritage attributes

Environmental Services

Process and approval of permits for filming in Richmond Hill

Planning and Regulatory Services

Policy Planning

Development of the Town’s new Official Plan

Development and shared Coordination of the People Plan Richmond Hill Process for the Strategic Plan and Official Plan

Staff support to Heritage Richmond Hill (as Municipal Heritage Committee under the Ontario Heritage Act)

Responsibility for Heritage Conservation – including maintenance of Heritage Register and conservation of built heritage, archaeology, cultural heritage districts and other conservation provisions set out in the Richmond Hill Official Plan

Responsibility for developing a new Public Art Master Plan

Natural Heritage department to steward the management of park land and open spaces, including the Oak Ridges Moraine

Development Planning and Regulatory Services

Meeting with First Nations representatives when updated Richmond Hill’s Archaeological Master Plan and developing the Official Plan project

Planning Staff are participating in the York Region Archaeological Master Plan


APPENDIX E

Cultural Council Terms of Reference

Purpose

The Cultural Council will act as a catalyst to expand community engagement, mobilize resources and build the capacity of to support ongoing cultural planning and development in Richmond Hill. It will achieve this by:

Encouraging leadership and innovation;

Facilitating networking and community engagement among cultural groups and communities;

Build partnerships between the Town and its important business and community partners

Serving as a sounding board for ideas brought forward by the community.

Membership

An effort will be made to maintain a balance of participants on the Council from the following groups.

Local cultural groups – including the arts, heritage, libraries and creative cultural industries

Representatives from diverse communities

The business community

Council

Municipal staff

Members-at-large drawn from the community

A Vibrant Community Richmond Hill’s Cultural Plan2 Millier Dickinson Blais: Town of Richmond Hill...

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